I'm afraid Gov. Huckabee's homeschool record has been maligned by many who use distorted facts to create a false impression. There are very good reasons that Mike Farris endorsed Huckabee. He proved to be a champion of homeschoolers in Arkansas, and in fact, sided with them on the very law that some use now to say that Huckabee has a poor record on homeschooling! Please read the FACTS about Huckabee's homeschool record, from Mike Farris:

Quote:

January 2008

Questions have arisen regarding Governor Huckabee’s commitment to homeschooling. HSLDA-PAC is confident that Governor Huckabee is a strong supporter of home education, and we stand by our endorsement.

As discussed in this article, the Arkansas legislature passed a homeschool law in 1999, which was signed by Governor Huckabee. The law represented a step backward for homeschool freedoms.

Arkansas' homeschool law was enacted in 1985 when Bill Clinton was governor. It was one of the most restrictive laws in the nation. After Bill Clinton was elected president, Jim Guy Tucker, another Democrat, became governor. Unfortunately, homeschoolers were not able to roll back this terrible law during his administration. After Governor Tucker resigned from office because of legal difficulties, Mike Huckabee became governor in 1996.

Prior to the 1997 legislative session, the Arkansas Christian Home Education Association and HSLDA approached Governor Huckabee about supporting changes in the homeschool law. Governor Huckabee actively supported and lobbied legislators to get a bill passed which transformed Arkansas into a much more favorable state for homeschoolers. HSLDA attorney Dewitt Black wrote Governor Huckabee a thank-you letter. He replied, "Dee, it was my pleasure and privilege to get behind this effort on behalf of home school students in Arkansas, and I sincerely appreciated the backing of the Home School Legal Defense Association and the Arkansas Christian Home Education Association." HSLDA still has the original of this letter from the governor.

Only two years later, however, during the 1999 legislative session, two bad bills were introduced to impose restrictions on the homeschoolers. There was a great deal of momentum to get these bills through.

To avoid a major step backward for homeschool freedom, local homeschool leaders worked with a homeschooling father in the House of Representatives to sponsor a bill which would place some additional regulations on homeschoolers but would avoid the much worse provisions of the other two bills. HSLDA could not support this compromise bill because we always stand on the side of homeschool freedom and against government regulation. We opposed the bill and urged our members to lobby against the bill without success.

The political reality, however, was that the homeschoolers were going to have to give the opposition something or they were going to get something much worse. As far as Governor Huckabee was concerned, it was a bill the homeschoolers wanted. It was sponsored by a homeschooling father in the legislature and had the support of the Arkansas Family Council. The bill was enacted and became Act 1117.

HSLDA-PAC has spoken directly with Governor Huckabee and we believe that by his words and actions he is a firm supporter of homeschooling.

This video discusses more of Governor Huckabee's relationship with homeschoolers.

Many of us live in states where we have been in the unfortunate position of having to support one law that may not be ideal, to avoid the consequences even worse laws. The situation in Arkansas was such a case.

I'm a conservative Christian who is in my 12th year of homeschooling. One of the reasons I began homeschooling was to teach my children how to discern truth, and defend it. We as Christians are bound to uphold the truth, and should make every effort to do so in ALL aspects of our lives. I ask you, as fellow homeschoolers, to be wise, and not fall prey to rumors and false information. It takes a lot of work, but we ALWAYS need to search for the truth, and be careful that we are not guilty of spreading rumors.

I think there are really only two people running who are "homeschool friendly". Ron Paul is without a doubt a man who is as consistent as a straight line on this issue. I do not know if he is "homeschool friendly" or just consistent in his political ideology.

Mike Huckabee, with one exception as noted above, is the only one who has been a very active supporter of us in the past. Others have given us a bone or two here and there (and some have not even done that) but they were never active.

I endorsed Huckabee.

Yet, let me say something about Ron Paul. I saw a couple of people who said they are struggling with whether to vote for Paul or another candidate. Let me encourage you to vote for Paul unless it is going to be close in your state. Why? This is not just about getting Paul elected but about influence in the long run and forming a coalition that would be taken serious. I love Paul on many issues (and disagree with him on many). Yet, he is not taken serious because there is not a "large coalition". I do think he has changed the debate and proven that there are people who will support a candidacy like his. This is important to keep going if you are a Ron Paul supporter.

I actually did some work for the Paul campaign this year and was asked to be a delegate for Paul. I did not endorse him but am sympathetic to him.

I wanted to add a fact that seems to be missing when discussion of the homeschool laws in Arkansas are discussed. In Arkansas, a veto by the governor can be overturned by a simple majority. So it is essentially useless. Many blogs have questioned why Huckabee didn't just veto the bad homeschool bills that were brought up in the legislature. If they had enough votes to pass them, then the veto would stand. The key was to pass a bill that home schoolers could live with because the veto is useless there. I live in North Carolina and we are the only state in which the governor doesn't have the power to veto legislation so we have to keep the bills from being passed to begin with. Folks who blog really need to do a little more research before making assumptions about policies in different states. Each state is unique and that wasn't taken into account when folks were criticizing Huckabee's record._________________http://homeschoolershearthuckabee.blogspot.com

If you assume for the sake of argument that Huckabee is a good candidate for homeschoolers, is it worth it to elect him and have the economy go into a death spiral? Balancing the budge by raising taxes is only a temporary solution, and leaves the next guy holding the bag._________________Homeschool Articles - Events - Support Groups

Personally, I do not think there is remaining a true economic conservative. Yet, if the Free Trade agreements Bush is pushing (and a couple more I hope get approved) are approved, this could be a huge boom to the economy without tax cuts. Granted, both would be good but with enough free trade this could help the economy more than any series of tax cut measures without revitalization of the entire tax code.

The idea that Huckabee would be a tax-hiker is another falsehood put out by his rivals, especially Mitt Romney, who donated thousands of dollars to the Club for Growth to trash Mike about this. Actually, Mike has a very good economic record in Arkansas, and left with a VERY high approval record. Here are some facts about Mike's record from Joe Carter at Evangelical Outpost, who has spent much time digging into Huckabee's record:

Quote:

One of the things that is most often reported inaccurately is Governor Huckabee’s tax record. There will always be groups like The Club for Growth, and Cato Institute who will never be satisfied, and who will continue to attack Governor Huckabee.

These groups like to oversimplify an issue, and while Governor, Mike Huckabee learned that many issues were not cut and dried. State government's job is to provide prisons and state police for public safety, good roads for transportation and public education.

As Governor, that is what he did while being responsible with the revenue and state budget. Keeping the state budget balanced and spending as low as possible wasn't easy because he also had to deal with a state legislature that had the largest percentage of Democrats of any in the country as well as court mandates from judges who think spending more and more tax dollars is the only solution to any problem.
Tax Cuts
Mike Huckabee is a fiscal conservative who cut taxes almost 100 times in the state of Arkansas.
Mike Huckabee returned almost $400 million to Arkansas taxpayers. He believes it is immoral to take more money from taxpayers than is needed to run the government, and if a surplus occurs because of growth in the economy and good fiscal policy, it should be returned to the people.

He was the first Governor of Arkansas to pass a broad-based tax cut in the history of the state.

He also doubled the standard deduction to $2,000 for individuals and to $4,000 for married couples, as well as the child care tax credit and eliminated the marriage penalty.

He eliminated the capital gains tax on the sale of a home.

He eliminated the state income tax for families below the poverty line.

He reduced the capital gains tax for businesses and individuals.

He indexed the income tax to protect people from paying higher taxes because of "bracket creep."

Governor Huckabee left the state with almost a $1 billion surplus- a state record, setting the stage for further tax reductions. The “Huckabee Surplus” enabled his successor to follow Huckabee’s lead to begin the elimination of the state sales tax on food.

He urged that the surplus should go back to the taxpayers in the form of a rebate or tax cut.

He cut welfare rolls by almost 50 percent.

With respect to the tax and spending that he had under his control, spending rose about six-tenths of one percent a year during his ten-and-a-half year tenure.

Governor Huckabee established the Murphy Commission by Executive Order (his first as governor) to streamline government to save taxpayers' dollars and make government more efficient.

Governor Huckabee also led efforts to establish a Taxpayers' Bill of Rights and a Property Taxpayers' Bill of Rights, which established a uniform notice and due process procedure guaranteeing all Arkansans they will be treated fairly in the assessment of property taxes.

Tax Increases and answers as to why:

Governor Huckabee worked hard to ensure that any tax increase we needed were supported and approved by Arkansans. We were not going to have a case of the Legislature imposing general tax increases on the people behind closed doors.

He made sure any tax increase was targeted, time-limited, and addressed specific state needs. Huckabee has been outspoken in saying that a significant portion of almost $1 billion in state surplus should go back to the taxpayers. He has always believed that a tax refund or reduction makes more sense than a government spending spree.

In 1996 voters approved an increase in the sales tax to support conservation which was a wonderful investment in Arkansas. 1/8 cent sales tax increase approved by voters to fund conservation and park services to preserve Arkansas natural and cultural heritage.

In 1999, Arkansans supported a fuel tax increase that allowed Arkansas to completely rehabilitate the interstate highway system, changing the interstate system from one of the worst in the country to the best according to Truckers Magazine. The $1 billion project was completed on budget and on time. The legislature passed the gas tax, but it wouldn’t be implemented unless the people voted on, and approved, the bond issue; which was passed by an 80% vote of the people in 1999.

In 2001, a sales tax increase offset revenue lost from constitutional amendment cutting property taxes by $180 million. The sales tax increase and property tax cut were voted on by citizens of Arkansas – they chose how to be taxed.

In 2003, a cigarette tax increase of 25 cents per pack funded state healthcare obligations. Arkansas tobacco taxes are still low, 33rd in the U. S.

In 2003, there was a temporary increase in the income tax to offset the economic recession our country was facing in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. They were needed for one year, and unlike most “temporary taxes,” Governor Huckabee made sure that the legislature kept its promise to the people that it was eliminated after two years.
In 2003, Arkansas had a $110 million hole in the state budget that had to be addressed aggressively. Medicaid, education, and prisons were the main areas that needed funding to keep them operating. Those three services took up to 91 percent of the general revenue fund. Arkansas didn’t have the revenue coming in that was needed to meet the expenses going out and it got to the point where we didn’t have the money to meet basic obligations to the state.

In 2004, he allowed a 7/8 cent sales tax increase to become law without his signature to comply with a Supreme Court order to increase funding for education, which avoided the courts taking over public education in Arkansas. Mike Huckabee was the first governor in state history to oppose a tax increase. He had already cut state budget by 11%.

SPENDING

Club for Growth says that state spending in Arkansas increased 49% during Governor’s ten-year tenure. THIS MUST BE PUT IN CONTEXT – a 49% increase is in line with a 46% increase in aggregate state spending over same time period. It’s still much lower than the 70% increase in federal spending for that period.

The Governor didn’t control higher education spending as that is controlled by the trustees of each institution. Those who want to distort Governor Huckabee’s record of tax and spending includes those in higher education to further their own goals.

Arkansas ranks 43rd so far this decade in spending as a percentage of personal income – this is a fairer judge of spending given disparity between poorer and richer states.

States have to increase spending every year by at least 5-6% just to keep up with rising costs of healthcare, education, and other services.

Spending that Governor controlled, not federal pass-throughs and programs controlled by the Democrat legislature, rose only about six-tenths of one percent a year during his tenure.

Minimum Wage –he increased minimum wage by $1.10 to avoid passage of a constitutional amendment that would have increased minimum wage annually by the amount of inflation. The Governor accepted one-shot deal as price of avoiding regular increases.

Furthermore, Americans for Tax Reform(ATF) voted Huckabee "Friend of the Taxpayer" in 2002. From NewsMax.com:

Quote:

Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), a taxpayer group that opposes federal and state tax increases, voted Huckabee as its "Friend of the Taxpayer" for December.

"Gov. Huckabee clearly possesses the courage to act upon his convictions," said Grover Norquist, ATR president. "I commend Gov. Huckabee for the choice he has given the taxpayers of Arkansas: Contribute additional income to the Tax Me More Fund or don't.

"In the meantime, the government will cut spending. State government officials across the nation should take note of Gov. Huckabee's example of how to handle a spending shortfall."

Huckabee's penchant for straight talk and cutting to the chase did not begin and end with his uncompromising no-new-taxes stance.

The "Tax Me More Fund" was something Huckabee created in response to liberals who wanted to raise taxes. Needless to say, not many people signed up to be taxed more!

In addition, Huckabee has signed ATR's pledge to not raise taxes as President.

I've got plenty more on this if you need convincing.

The bottom line is what I've stated previously: We MUST look for the truth and refuse to be driven by rumors. We all need to do our homework!

I'll admit, when I first started hearing about Huckabee, I was alarmed by some of the accusations. But I did my own research! You can too! There are two excellent websites to find out who Mike Huckabee is. One is his campaign website:

The other is www.HucksArmy.com
This site has a treasure trove of information, and in the discussion forums nothing has been held back! Every accusation about Mike has been brought up, discussed, researched and debated. If you'll take the time, there is more than enough information for you to research and then make up your own mind about Mike.

By the way, Huck's Army was started by Alex and Brett Harris, the twin son's of well known homeschool father and author, Gregg Harris (The Christian Home School). Their mother is Sono Harris, also a well known author. Their brother is Joshua Harris, author of "I Kissed Dating Goodbye."

Arkansas is a heavily liberal state, I'm not sure the fact that he had a high approval rating there is a good thing. Didn't Bill Clinton also come from Arkansas with a high approval rating?

Given, if what the site says is true, Romney has more or less the same fiscal record. Darn it! Now I have to chuck him and start back at square one again._________________Homeschool Articles - Events - Support Groups

Yes, Arkansas has many liberals and Mike has his share of liberal enemies there. Huckabee became Governor because he was the Lt. Gov. when Gov. Jim Guy Tucker was convicted in the Whitewater scandal and sent to prison. As you know, Arkansas is notorious for dirty politics, and Mike has been on the receiving end many times (even now!). When he tried to enter his office as Gov. for the first time, he found that his enemies had bolted it shut, and it was several days before he was able to enter. Nevertheless, Mike's integrity and character earned him the respect of fair minded Democrats. They may not have agreed with his conservative politics, but they came to respect him as a man.

Keep in mind, that even the most liberal states have their share of conservatives, and Arkansas is no exception. Just because you live in a liberal state, that doesn't make you one. The reason Gov. Huckabee left with a high approval rating was that the majority of Arkansans were sick of the dirty politics that they had lived with for so many years. Mike was a breath of fresh air, who came in and tried clean things up, and get Arkansas moving forward. He made many enemies along the way (who, by the way, are trying to derail his Presidential bid now), but he also earned the respect of decent people from all walks of life.

Last edited by ColoradoMom on Thu Jan 31, 2008 11:31 am; edited 1 time in total

Given, if what the site says is true, Romney has more or less the same fiscal record. Darn it! Now I have to chuck him and start back at square one again.

I know the feeling!

I, too, once considered Romney. He sounds good when he's speaking, but I followed the advice I've given my kids: when looking at a candidate, don't go by what they say, or how good their commercials sound. Really look at their past, their record, and at the kind of person they are. To put it bluntly, the Romney I discovered is far different from the Romney he presents himself to be. A thorough examination of him will show that, despite his facade as a social conservative, he most certainly is NOT! I'm not going to go off on Romney here...there's plenty about him you can discover if you Google. This website is also a good place to start:
http://massresistance.org/romney/

I saw this post on another thread and thought it might be good to post it here as well. I always appreciate reading first-hand accounts:

Quote:

Hi, My name is Cathy and I'm a homeschool Mom of nine children. I have been homeschooling for about 20 years. I live in Florida and my eldest son
Patrick worked with Governor Huckabee as a homeschool volunteer helping
with Tornado relief work with Alert. Alert is a boyscout type group formed by
ATIA, one of the largest homeschool programs for families ever started. Mr.
Bill Gothard is the founder and worked extensively on projects for many years back and forth with Governor Huckabee. He would be the ultimate homeschool president. Just ask The Duggar family from Arkansas who is also volunteering on their campaign. All 19 of them! Seems like Along with Mr. Farris , Governor Huckabee has some great support amongst noted homeschool greats. He's been working for many ,many years with homeschoolers, Just check personally with these authorities or one of the many thousands he's blessed from homeschool backrounds in Arkansas.
My son was named honorary citizen of Arkansas for his assistance at the time. Through the facilitation of the Governor, a training center was set up in
Arkansas for homeschoolers! Go to wwwmikehuckabee.com and check out his special video addressing homeschoolers under video clips! I doubt you will find that on any other candidates site! There are a lot of lies out
there right now. Please don't fall prey to them! Mike has a chance if you and I work hard to get him in the southern states by super Tuesday! Check out his site to see what you can do! He will help our cause and has the
experience working for homeschoolers all these years!!

I don't really like the lineup this year, and can't honestly say I care much which of them wins, so I voted for Ron Paul. Might as well vote for the only truly good candidate, even if he's not going to win the primary.

Well, in Missouri at least, Obama is leading Clinton by 1.2%. McCain won with 33% to Huckabee's 31.5% to Romney's 29.3%, however, with Ron Paul running 4.5%. Overall, looks like around 800K people voted Democrat, vs 600K p eople voting Republican, but no way to tell if that's because there are more Democrats now, or because a bunch of Republicans voted Democrat so they could deny the nomination to Hillary (which I know at least some did).

Turnout overall was extremely high, 1,414,983 vs 543,392 for the last primary and 745,754 for the one before that. There's only like 4.43 million adults in the entire state, so around a third of the population showed up for the primary._________________Homeschool Articles - Events - Support Groups